Recent progress in aptamer-based microfluidics for the detection of circulating tumor cells and extracellular vesicles / 药物分析学报

Liquid biopsy is a technology that exhibits potential to detect cancer early,monitor therapies,and predict cancer prognosis due to its unique characteristics,including noninvasive sampling and real-time analysis.Circulating tumor cells(CTCs)and extracellular vesicles(EVs)are two important components of circu-lating targets,carrying substantial disease-related molecular information and playing a key role in liquid biopsy.Aptamers are single-stranded oligonucleotides with superior affinity and specificity,and they can bind to targets by folding into unique tertiary structures.Aptamer-based microfluidic platforms offer new ways to enhance the purity and capture efficiency of CTCs and EVs by combining the advantages of microfluidic chips as isolation platforms and aptamers as recognition tools.In this review,we first briefly introduce some new strategies for aptamer discovery based on traditional and aptamer-based micro-fluidic approaches.Then,we subsequently summarize the progress of aptamer-based microfluidics for CTC and EV detection.Finally,we offer an outlook on the future directional challenges of aptamer-based microfluidics for circulating targets in clinical applications.

Establishment and validation of a model for predicting infiltration of pulmonary subsolid nodules by circulating tumor cells combined with imaging features / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Objective     To evaluate the clinical radiological features combined with circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the diagnosis of invasiveness evaluation of subsolid nodules in lung cancers. Methods     Clinical data of 296 patients from the First Hospital of Lanzhou University between February 2019 and February 2021 were retrospectively included. There were 130 males and 166 females with a median age of 62.00 years. Patients were randomly divided into a training set and an internal validation set with a ratio of 3 : 1 by random number table method. The patients were divided into two groups: a preinvasive lesion group (atypical adenomatoid hyperplasia and adenocarcinoma in situ) and an invasive lesion group (microinvasive adenocarcinoma and invasive adenocarcinoma). Independent risk factors were selected by regression analysis of training set and a Nomogram prediction model was constructed. The accuracy and consistency of the model were verified by the receiver operating characteristic curve and calibration curve respectively. Subgroup analysis was conducted on nodules with different diameters to further verify the performance of the model. Specific performance metrics, including sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy at the threshold were calculated. Results     Independent risk factors selected by regression analysis for subsolid nodules were age, CTCs level, nodular nature, lobulation and spiculation. The Nomogram prediction mode provided an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.914 (0.872, 0.956), outperforming clinical radiological features model AUC [0.856 (0.794, 0.917), P=0.003] and CTCs AUC [0.750 (0.675, 0.825), P=0.001] in training set. C-index was 0.914, 0.894 and corrected C-index was 0.902, 0.843 in training set and internal validation set, respectively. The AUC of the prediction model in training set was 0.902 (0.848, 0.955), 0.913 (0.860, 0.966) and 0.873 (0.730, 1.000) for nodule diameter of 5-20 mm, 10-20 mm and 21-30 mm, respectively. Conclusion     The prediction model in this study has better diagnostic value, and is more effective in clinical diagnosis of diseases.

Prognostic significance of circulating tumor cell measurement in the peripheral blood of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Abstract Objective: Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (NPC) is lethal cancer. Typically, relapse and metastasis are the outcomes of most patients. Against this backdrop, this study aimed to investigate the correlation between Circulating Tumor Cell (CTC) profiles and clinicopathological features in patients with NPC. Patients and methods: A total of 119 blood samples from 79 patients were collected from patients with NPC during treatment. CanPatrol™ CTC enrichment and RNA In Situ Hybridization (RNA-ISH) were used to characterize CTCs, including epithelial, Mesenchymal (MCTCs), and epithelial/mesenchymal mixed types according to their surface markers. Results: The number of CTCs and MCTCs in the pre-treatment group was significantly higher than that in the post-treatment group (p < 0.05). The total number of CTCs and MCTCs cell numbers was significant correlation with Tumor-Node-Metastasis (TNM) staging (p < 0.05), Progression-Free Survival (PFS), and Overall Survival (OS). The PFS of patients with > 7 CTCs or > 5 MCTCs per 5 mL blood was significantly shorter PFS than those patients with ≤ 7 CTCs or ≤ 5 MCTCs (p < 0.05). Patients treated with targeted therapy combined with chemoradiother-apy had poorer PFS and OS rates than those treated with chemoradiotherapy (p < 0.05). The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis also demonstrated that patients with changes in CTC > 4 were strongly associated with PFS and OS rates (p < 0.05). Conclusion: CTC and MCTC number detection in patients with NPC is a useful biomarker for predicting patient progress. Patients with more than 7 CTCs or 5 MCTCs in 5 mL of blood had shorter PFS and OS rates. CTC and MCTC count changes were also significantly associated with the patient's therapy.

Research progress on liquid biopsy and its combination of radiology in diagnosis of pulmonary nodules / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Lung cancer is a malignant tumor with the highest mortality worldwide, and its early diagnosis and evaluation have a crucial impact on the comprehensive treatment of patients. Early preoperative diagnosis of lung cancer depends on a variety of imaging and tumor marker indicators, but it cannot be accurately assessed due to its high false positive rate. Liquid biopsy biomarkers can detect circulating tumor cells and DNA in peripheral blood by non-invasive methods and are gradually becoming a powerful diagnostic tool in the field of precision medicine for tumors. This article reviews the research progress of liquid biopsy biomarkers and their combination with clinical imaging features in the early diagnosis of lung cancer.

Establishment and Application of in vitro and in vivo Model of Disseminated Tumor Cells with Dormancy / 肿瘤防治研究

Postoperative asymptomatic patients with early cancer (lung cancer) have dormant disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) in their metastatic target organs, and the proliferation of these DTCs is the key link leading to clinical metastasis. The development of therapeutic agents to maintain DTCs dormant or eradicate dormant DTCs will prevent tumor metastasis and break through the bottleneck of improving the overall efficacy of treating malignant tumors. This paper reviews the methods of establishing in vitro and in vivo research models of DTCs with dormant characteristics to promote the understanding of dormant DTCs and improve the research and development efficiency of anti-tumor metastasis drugs.

Circulating Tumor Cells – A Review

Context: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are those cells that separate from the primary tumor to enter circulation. This is facili- tated by Epithelial -Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) or through Non EMT based modalities by passive entry into circulation. CTCs are responsible for causing distant metastasis. Objectives: This review article briefly describes few of the mechanisms of CTC production and survival and few methods that are used to detect CTCs Materials and Methods: Data was collected and analyzed from published literature and electronic database searches of PubMed and Google Scholar. Result: CTCs acquire genetic alteration that differentiates them from the primary tumor. Majority of CTCs do not survive in the circulation but the few that do, do so by adapting various survival mechanisms. Conclusion: Detection of CTCs help in the early diagnosis of cancer, providing patient tailored therapy and for monitoring of cancer.

Células tumorales circulantes en una paciente con sospecha clínica de mieloma múltiple / Circulating tumor cells in a patient with clinical suspicious of multiple myeloma

Introducción: La circulación de células tumorales en la sangre periférica, conocido como carcinocitemia, es un fenómeno raro y muy poco comunicado en la literatura científica y su diagnóstico diferencial puede constituir un desafío en la práctica clínica. Objetivos: Describir las causas más frecuentes de carcinocitemia, los retos diagnósticos que representa y contribuir a elevar el índice de sospecha de esta entidad. Presentación del caso: Paciente femenina de 71 años de edad que acude por dolores óseos y palidez cutánea. En el examen de sangre periférica se observa células de gran tamaño que recordaron células plasmáticas. El inmunofenotipo por citometría de flujo fue sugestivo de mieloma múltiple isotipo IgM. El ultrasonido de mamas y la tomografía de tórax mostraron lesión tumoral en la mama izquierda. El estudio inmunohistoquímico de la biopsia de médula ósea fue compatible con adenocarcinoma de mamas. La paciente falleció sin haber comenzado tratamiento específico. Conclusiones: Se presenta paciente con células circulantes tumorales secundaria a adenocarcinoma de la mama donde la inmunohistoquímica de la biopsia de médula ósea descartó el diagnóstico de mieloma múltiple sospechado clínica, radiológicamente, por la morfología celular y el inmunofenotipo(AU)

Introduction: The circulating tumor cells in peripheral blood, known as carcinocythemia is a rare and poorly documented phenomenon, that can be a challenge diagnosis. Objectives: To describe the most frequents causes of carcinocythemia, the diagnosis challenges that it represents and to contribute raising awareness of this entity. Case presentation: Female patient, 71-year-old who complained bone pain and skin pale. The peripheral blood smear showed big size cells mimicking plasma cells. The immunophenotype by flow cytometry suggested IgM isotype multiple myeloma. Breast ultrasound and thorax tomography showed a tumor in the left breast. The bone marrow biopsy immunohistochemical was compatible with adenocarcinoma of breast. The patient died short after before receive specific treatment. Conclusions: We present a patient with circulating tumor cells secondary to breast adenocarcinoma where the bone marrow biopsy immunohistochemical ruled out multiple myeloma diagnosis suspected by clinical, image studies, cell morphology and immunophenotype(AU)

Análise de marcadores sanguíneos em pacientes com osteossarcoma, sarcomas de partes moles e tumor desmóide / Analysis of blood markers in patients with soft tissue sarcoma and desmoid tumor

Introdução: O tumor desmoide (TD) é uma neoplasia rara com altas taxas de recorrência local, composto por células fibroblásticas que se caracterizam pela expressão de moléculas-chave, incluindo o filamento intermediário vimentina, ciclooxigenase-2 (COX-2) e ß-catenina nuclear. Células tumorais circulantes (CTCs) isoladas do sangue periférico de pacientes com sarcomas e outras neoplasias podem ser utilizadas como biomarcadores precoces de invasão e disseminação tumoral. A família dos Receptores do Fator de Crescimento Epidérmico (Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor, EGFR) também podem influenciar no processo de invasão das CTCs, na formação de metástases e na recolonização de seus tumores de origem por meio de um processo de "auto-semeadura do tumor". Objetivo: Nosso objetivo foi identificar CTCs no sangue periférico de pacientes com TD ou sarcomas e avaliar a expressão das proteínas ß-catenina, TGF-ßRI (do Inglês, Transforming Growth Factor-ß Receptor I), COX-2 (Cyclooxygenase2), vimentina, GLUT-1 (Glucose Transporter 1), LGR5 (G-Protein Coupled Receptor 5) e EGFR, e sua correlação com sobrevidas global (SG) e livre de progressão (SLP). Materiais e Métodos: Foi realizado um estudo prospectivo de pacientes com diagnóstico inicial ou TD recidivado com doença mensurável. Para sarcomas, utilizamos amostras coletadas de forma prospectiva e retrospectiva. As amostras de sangue de cada paciente foram processadas e filtradas pelo ISET® (Rarecells, França) para isolamento e quantificação de CTCs. A expressão das proteínas foi analisada por imunocitoquímica (ICC). Para análise molecular das CTCs provenientes de pacientes com TD foi padronizado o método de PCR digital. Resultados: Foram incluídos 18 pacientes com TD, todos com CTCs detectáveis, com níveis que variaram entre 0,5­13 CTCs/mL. Encontramos uma concordância da expressão de ß-catenina em CTCs e tumores primários de 42,8% (6/14) dos casos usando ICC e imunohistoquímica, respectivamente. Nos nossos testes prévios de PCR digital, encontramos cópias mutadas de S45Pro em 4 pacientes (40%) e de S45Phe em apenas um paciente (10%). Em contraste, não foram encontradas mutações Th41Ala. Nas amostras de sarcomas, analisamos 30 amostras e encontramos CTCs em 93% dos pacientes e os níveis variaram de 0-11,25 CTCs/mL. Observamos também que a SG dos pacientes positivos para EGFR (p=0,027) eram inferiores às sobrevidas dos pacientes negativos para as mesmas proteínas. Conclusões: Nosso estudo identificou alta prevalência de CTCs em pacientes com TD e sarcomas. A concordânciada expressão de ß-catenina entre tumor primário e CTCs traz novas perspectivas para avaliar a dinâmica das CTCs no compartimento sanguíneo, abrindo novos caminhos para o estudo da biologia e comportamento do TD. Este é o primeiro estudo a demonstrar a expressão da proteína LGR5 em CTCs de pacientes com diferentes tipos de sarcomas, o que pode abrir novas oportunidades para futuras investigações. O próximo passo é caracterizar CTCs em uma coorte maior de pacientes para entender melhor o papel do LGR5 e das demais proteínas no processo de metástases tumorais em sarcomas. Além disso, esses resultados abrem a possibilidade de usar CTCs para prever a dinâmica do TD no momento da progressão da doença e tratamento. Mais estudos com tamanhos de amostra maiores são necessários para validar nossos achados tanto em TD como em sarcomas

Introduction: Desmoid tumor (DT) is a rare neoplasm with high rates of local recurrence, composed of fibroblast cells that are characterized by the expression of key molecules, including the intermediate filament vimentin, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and ß-catenin. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) isolated from the peripheral blood of patients with sarcomas and other neoplasms can be used as early biomarkers of tumor invasion and dissemination. The Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) family can also influence the process of CTC invasion, metastasis formation and recolonization of their tumors of origin through a process of "tumor selfseeding". Objective: Our objective was to identify CTCs in the peripheral blood of patients with TD or sarcomas and to evaluate the expression of ßcatenin proteins, transforming growth factor receptor beta I (TGF-ßRI), COX-2 (cyclooxygenase-2), vimentin, GLUT-1 (Glucose transporter 1), LGR5 (Gprotein coupled receptor 5) and EGFR and their relation with progression free (PFS) and overall suvival (OS). Methods: We performed a prospective study of patients with initial diagnosis or relapsed TD with measurable disease. For sarcomas, we used samples collected prospectively and retrospectively. Blood samples from each patient were processed and filtered by ISET® (Rarecells, France) for isolation and quantification of CTCs. Protein expression was analyzed by immunocytochemistry (ICC). For the molecular analysis of CTCs from patients with TD, the digital PCR method was standardized. Results: Eighteen TD patients were included, all with detectable CTCs, with levels ranging from 0.5­13 CTCs/mL. We found a concordance ofß-catenin expression in CTCs and primary tumors of 42.8% (6/14) of cases using ICC and immunohistochemistry, respectively. In our previous digital PCR tests, we found mutated copies of S45Pro in 4 patients (40%) and of S45Phe in only one patient (10%). In contrast, no Th41Ala mutations were found. In the sarcoma samples, we analyzed 30 samples and found CTCs in 93% of the patients and the levels ranged from 0-11.25 CTCs/mL. We also observed that the OS of EGFR positive patients (p=0.027) were lower than the survival of negative patients for the same proteins. Conclusions: Our study identified a high prevalence of CTCs in patients with TD and sarcomas. The agreement of ß-catenin expression between primary tumor and CTCs brings new perspectives to evaluate the dynamics of CTCs in the blood compartment, opening newavenues for the study of the biology and behavior of TD. This is the first study to demonstrate the expression of LGR5 protein in CTCs from patients with different types of sarcomas, which may open new opportunities for future investigations. The next step is to characterize CTCs in a larger cohort of patients to better understand the role of LGR5 and other proteins in the process of tumor metastases in sarcomas. Furthermore, these results open up the possibility of using CTCs to predict the dynamics of TD at the time of disease progression and treatment. More studies with larger sample sizes areneeded to validate our findings in both TD and sarcomas

Inhibiting collagen I production and tumor cell colonization in the lung via miR-29a-3p loading of exosome-/liposome-based nanovesicles

The lung is one of the most common sites for cancer metastasis. Collagens in the lung provide a permissive microenvironment that supports the colonization and outgrowth of disseminated tumor cells. Therefore, down-regulating the production of collagens may contribute to the inhibition of lung metastasis. It has been suggested that miR-29 exhibits effective anti-fibrotic activity by negatively regulating the expression of collagens. Indeed, our clinical lung tumor data shows that miR-29a-3p expression negatively correlates with collagen I expression in lung tumors and positively correlates with patients' outcomes. However, suitable carriers need to be selected to deliver this therapeutic miRNA to the lungs. In this study, we found that the chemotherapy drug cisplatin facilitated miR-29a-3p accumulation in the exosomes of lung tumor cells, and this type of exosomes exhibited a specific lung-targeting effect and promising collagen down-regulation. To scale up the preparation and simplify the delivery system, we designed a lung-targeting liposomal nanovesicle (by adjusting the molar ratio of DOTAP/cholesterol-miRNAs to 4:1) to carry miR-29a-3p and mimic the exosomes. This liposomal nanovesicle delivery system significantly down-regulated collagen I secretion by lung fibroblasts in vivo, thus alleviating the establishment of a pro-metastatic environment for circulating lung tumor cells.

Significance of circulating tumor cell monitoring in targeted therapy for gastrointestinal stromal tumors / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Objective: To explore the significance of circulating tumor cell (CTC) monitoring in evaluating the efficacy of targeted therapy for gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). Methods: A prospective cohort study was performed. The data of patients with locally advanced GIST or liver metastasis who were admitted to The Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University from August 2013 to December 2018 were collected. Inclusion criteria: (1) patients aged older than 18 years; (2) patients who were diagnosed with GIST based on pathology; (3) patients without surgery, whose preoperative imaging evaluation of GIST found the violations of the surrounding organs or partial transfer of an estimated difficulty to achieve R0 resection, or the maximum diameter of the tumor > 10 cm, or the liver metastasis, or the expectation of higher risk of surgical complications; (4) patients who were treated with the imatinib 400 mg/d for the first time; (5) Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score of 0-2. Exclusion criteria: (1) genetic testing revealed a D842V mutation in exon 18 of the PDGFRA gene; (2) alanine aminotransferase and/or aspartate aminotransferase > 2.5 times the normal upper limit; (3) serum total bilirubin >1.5 times of normal upper limit; (4) neutrophil count < 1.5×10(9)/L, or platelet count < 75×10(9)/L, or hemoglobin < 60 g/L; (5) creatinine > normal upper limit; (6) patients had serious cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases within 12 months before enrollment; (7) female patients were pregnant or lactating; (8) patients suffered from other serious acute and chronic physical or mental problems, and were not suitable for participating in this study judged by researchers. The patients who could not tolerate treatment regimen, or developed serious adverse reactions and did not follow the medication scheme after enrollment were excluded. Before imatinib treatment and 1-month and 2-month after treatment, quantitative PCR was used to detect the DOG-1 expression of monocytes in peripheral blood, and the ratio of DOG-1/β-actin > 3×10(-5) was used as the CTC positive threshold of GIST. The positive rate of CTC, the efficacy of imatinib treatment (complete response, partial response, stable disease, progressive disease, and occurrence of adverse reactions), and the relationship between CTC positive rate and clinicopathological characteristics of patients were analyzed. Furthermore, the ratio of DOG-1 decrease/baseline DOG-1 after 1-month of treatment was used as an indicator to evaluate whether targeted therapy was effective. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was rendered, and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated. Results: A total of 68 GIST patients were enrolled in this study, including 39 cases of locally advanced GIST and 29 cases with liver metastases, 32 males and 36 females with the mean age of (51.2±11.8) (range 31 to 74) years. After 2-month of imatinib treatment, 43 cases were evaluated as partial response, 11 cases as stable disease, and 14 cases as progressive disease, with an effective rate of 79.4% (54/68). During the treatment of imatinib, the incidence of grade 3 or higher adverse reactions was 22.1% (15/68), including 12 cases of grade 3 neutropenia and 3 of grade 4 drug eruption, which were all relieved after conservative treatment. The positive rates of CTC in 68 patients before treatment, 1-month and 2-month after treatment were 66.2% (45/68), 41.2% (28/68) and 23.5% (16/68), respectively. The positive rate of CTC was associated with tumor size, liver metastasis, mitotic count and risk level (all P<0.05). By analyzing the effective group and the ineffective group of targeted therapy, it was found that the positive rate of CTC in the effective group showed a decreasing trend, while the positive rate of CTC in the ineffective group showed an increasing trend. The AUC of predicting the efficacy of targeted therapy for GIST was 0.823 by detecting the change trend of CTC 1-month after treatment (P<0.001). When the DOG-1 content decreased by more than 57.5% 1-month after treatment, it can be used as an indicator to judge the effectiveness of the treatment, whose sensitivity was 72.2% and specificity was 100%. Conclusion: The detection of peripheral blood CTC can evaluate the efficacy of targeted therapy in GIST patients and can provide decision-making basis for further clinical treatment.

Research Advances of Circulating Tumor Cells in Lung Cancer / 肿瘤防治研究

Metastasis is the main factor leading to the death of patients with lung cancer, and active prevention is the key to improve the efficacy of treatment. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) play an important role in initiating metastasis. They trigger a series of metastatic cascade reactions at the moment of shedding from the primary focus, and finally colonize and proliferate in the distant target organs. In recent years, the detection technology of lung cancer CTCs has been continuously optimized. It can not only count CTCs, but also identify different subsets. CTCs detection of lung cancer can be used for early screening, the prediction of prognosis after surgery and chemoradiotherapy and the evaluation of curative effect of targeted immunotherapy. Dynamic monitoring of tumor heterogeneity is helpful to adjust personalized treatment plan and achieve the accurate treatment of cancer. Tian Jianhui's research group established the world's first circulating tumor cell line of human lung adenocarcinoma, integrated it into the theory of "positive deficiency and toxin" in the subclinical core pathogenesis of lung cancer, and actively promoted the construction of a specific research platform for lung cancer, in order to improve the research, prevention and control efficiency of lung cancer metastasis.

Comparison of hormonal receptor expression and HER2 status between circulating tumor cells and breast cancer metastases

OBJECTIVES: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common neoplasm in women. Biopsy of metastatic lesions is recommended to confirm estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status as there are discrepancies in these patterns between primary tumors and metastases in up to 40% of the cases. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are related to BC outcomes and could potentially be an alternative to the invasive procedures of metastasis rebiopsy. ISET® technology is not currently employed to detect CTCs in patients with BC. Emerging data support that the characterization of CTC protein expression can refine its prognostic value. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β plays a role in BC progression and invasiveness. Thus, in this study, we aimed to compare ER, PR, and HER2 expression in primary tumors, CTCs, and metastases and evaluate TGF-β type 1 receptor (TGF-β RI) expression in CTCs as prognostic factor for progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). METHODS: This prospective study was conducted at the A.C. Camargo Cancer Center, Brazil. Blood samples were processed in ISET® (Isolation by SizE of Tumors, Rarecells, France) before computed tomography-guided biopsy of suspected metastatic lesions. Protein expression levels in CTCs were compared to those in primary tumors/metastases (medical records). RESULTS: Of the 39 patients initially included, 27 underwent both biopsies of metastases and blood collection and were considered for analysis. The concordance rates for ER, PR, and HER2 expression between primary tumors and metastases were high. No loss of HER2 expression at any metastasis site and retention of the same pattern of protein expression in all triple-negative (TN) tumors (92.5%, 81.5% and 96.2% respectively) (p<0.0001) was observed. When metastases/CTCs were classified as TN/non-TN, CTCs showed high specificity (93%), accuracy (84.2%), and negative predictive value (88%). The median OS of patients without TGF-β RI expression in CTCs was 42.6 versus 20.8 months for TGF-β RI expression-positive ones (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The role of CTCs detected by ISET has not yet been established in BC. Here, we suggest that this methodology may be useful to evaluate metastasis in non-TN cases as well as TGF-β RI expression in CTCs, which may impact patient survival. Due to sample limitations, future studies must focus on specific BC subtypes and an expansion of the cohort.

Advances in new microfluidic chips for enrichment and detection of circulating tumor cells / 中华检验医学杂志

Due to the characteristics such as high capture, high recovery and precise control with fluid, the microfluidic chip has attracted much attention in the research field of circulating tumor cells (CTCs). The developed microfluidic system mainly included three types based on the captured principles such as biological affinity tag microfluidic chip, free label microfluidic chip and rely on biological affinity with the physical properties of integrated microfluidic chip.

The expression differences and prognostic value of four cancer stem cell markers in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and circulating tumor cells in peripheral blood / 中华检验医学杂志

Objective:To investigate the expression of four cancer stem cell (CSC) markers (EpCAM, CD133, CD90 and CD24) in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and peripheral blood circulating tumor cells (CTC),their value in the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.Methods:A total of 50 hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and 29 peripheral blood sample from 50 patients with hepatocellular cancer treated in Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University from October 2013 to September 2014 were collected and analyzed by flow cytometry or qRT-PCR to examine the expression of EpCAM, CD133, CD90 and CD24. The clinical data of patients were collected, including tumor size, tumor number, satellite lesions, vascular invasion, Edmondson stage, BCLC stage and liver cirrhosis, etc. The correlation between the expression of four markers in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and CTC with the clinical data and survival time of patients were compared.Results:The positive expression rates of EpCAM, CD133, CD90 and CD24 in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues were 66% (33/50), 18% (9/50), 60% (30/50) and 56% (28/50); the positive expression rates in CTC were 55% (16/29), 38% (11/29), 31% (9/29) and 59% (17/29). CD90 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma tissue was positively correlated with the occurrence HCC liver cirrhosis ( P<0.05), while CD133 expression was negatively correlated with the 5-year survival rate of patients ( P<0.05). The expression of EpCAM and CD24 in peripheral blood CTC were closely related to the patient′s Edmondson stage ( P<0.05). The survival time of patients with CD133 positive expression in hepatocellular carcinoma tissue was lower than those without CD133 expression ( P<0.05); the survival rate of patients with EpCAM expressed in either tissue or peripheral blood CTC was lower than that of patients with EpCAM double negative expression ( P<0.05). The survival rate of patients with CD90 negative in HCC tissue and positive in peripheral blood was lower than that in patients with double negative/double positive in tissue and peripheral blood or patients positive in hepatocellular carcinoma tissue and negative in peripheral blood ( P<0.01). Conclusion:Different expression characteristics of four markers in cancer tissues and peripheral blood CTC might provide useful information about predicting prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. The expression of CD133 in tissues can be used as an important survival predictor of hepatocellular carcinoma patients. The differential expression of cancer markers in tissue samples and blood samples can provide more clinical prognostic information.

The predictive value of circulating tumor cells count in portal vein blood on the postoperative prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer / 中华普通外科杂志

Objective:To investigate the predictive value of portal vein (PoV) blood circulating tumor cells (CTCs) count in patients with pancreatic cancer on the postoperative prognosis.Methods:The data of 58 patients receiving radical resection of pancreatic cancer and PoV CTCs detection at People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University from Aug 2018 to Jun 2020 were collected. According to the cut-off value of PoV CTCs>10/5 ml made by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), patients were divided into high CTCs group and low CTCs group and the differences in clinicopathological parameters and prognosis of the two groups were compared.Results:Postoperative progression-free survival rate of the low CTCs group was higher than that of the high CTCs group ( χ 2=12.97, P<0.001).Univariate COX regression analysis showed that tumor diameter >4 cm, lymph node invasion, TNM staging, CTCs>10/5 ml, postoperative CA199>37 U/m were risk factors for postoperative prognosis. Multivariate COX regression analysis demonstrated that TNM stage ( OR=2.782, P=0.024), CTCs count >10/5 ml ( OR=2.583, P=0.047), postoperative CA199>37 U/m ( OR=3.775, P=0.004) were the independent risk factors of prognosis. Conclusion:A higher PoV CTCs count was a risk factor for poor prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer after radical resection.

Emerging nanomedicine-based therapeutics for hematogenous metastatic cascade inhibition: Interfering with the crosstalk between "seed and soil"

Despite considerable progresses in cancer treatment, tumor metastasis is still a thorny issue, which leads to majority of cancer-related deaths. In hematogenous metastasis, the concept of "seed and soil" suggests that the crosstalk between cancer cells (seeds) and premetastatic niche (soil) facilitates tumor metastasis. Considerable efforts have been dedicated to inhibit the tumor metastatic cascade, which is a highly complicated process involving various pathways and biological events. Nonetheless, satisfactory therapeutic outcomes are rarely observed, since it is a great challenge to thwart this multi-phase process. Recent advances in nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems have shown great potential in the field of anti-metastasis, especially compared with conventional treatment methods, which are limited by serious side effects and poor efficacy. In this review, we summarized various factors involved in each phase of the metastatic cascade ranging from the metastasis initiation to colonization. Then we reviewed current approaches of targeting these factors to stifle the metastatic cascade, including modulating primary tumor microenvironment, targeting circulating tumor cells, regulating premetastatic niche and eliminating established metastasis. Additionally, we highlighted the multi-phase targeted drug delivery systems, which hold a better chance to inhibit metastasis. Besides, we demonstrated the limitation and future perspectives of nanomedicine-based anti-metastasis strategies.

Clinical utility of PD-L1 expression in circulating tumor cells in non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with immunotherapy / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@# Lung cancer is the most frequent cancer and the leading cause of cancer death all around the world. Anti-programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) therapies have significantly improved the outcomes of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients in recent years. However, the objective response rate in non-screened patients is only about 20%. It is very important to screen out the potential patients suitable for immunotherapy. Immunohistochemical staining of tumor tissue biopsies with PD-L1 antibodies can predict the therapeutic response to immunotherapy to some extent, but it still has some limitations. Recently some clinical studies have shown that PD-L1 expression in circulating tumor cells (CTC-PD-L1) is a potential independent biomarker and may provide important information for immunotherapy in NSCLC. This article will review technology for CTC-PD-L1 detection and the predictive value of CTC-PD-L1 for immunotherapy in NSCLC and review the latest clinical research progress.

Advances in Clinical Application of Liquid Biopsy in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer / 中国肺癌杂志

Lung cancer, with the highest incidence in China, is the leading cause of death in cancer patients. Of these, about 85% are patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Therefore, the diagnosis and treatment of patients with lung cancer have always been a top priority nowadays. Fluid biopsy has many advantages, such as safety, convenience, repeatability, low trauma and so on, which are not available in traditional invasive biopsy. In recent years, with the rapid progress of molecular biological detection technology, fluid biopsy, as a new technology, has become the focus of attention. What's more, it contributes to the development of precision treatment and individualized treatment of lung cancer. Liquid biopsy mainly detects circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and exosomes in peripheral blood. We will make an introduce to the detection and clinical applications of ctDNA, CTCs and exocrine in this article, in order that it can provide insights into future clinical treatment for NSCLC.
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Detection of peripheral blood circulating tumor cells in oral squamous cell carcinoma and its clinical significance / 华西口腔医学杂志

OBJECTIVES@#This study aims to investigate the diagnostic value of peripheral blood circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and its correlation with the clinicopathological features of OSCC.@*METHODS@#Ninety-three patients diagnosed as OSCC in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from May 2019 to May 2020 were selected as the experimental group, and 20 healthy volunteers were employed as the control group. The CTCs value of peripheral blood of the patients were measured by CTCs detection technology, and its clinical significance was analyzed.@*RESULTS@#The CTCs values in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (@*CONCLUSIONS@#Peripheral blood CTCs has important clinical value for early screening, auxiliary diagnosis, evaluation of metastasis, and determination of malignant degree, progression, and pathological grade of OSCC and a relatively reliable tumor detection indicator.

Desarrollo de un sistema microfluidico (lab-on-a-chip) accesible y de bajo costo para detección de células tumorales circulantes de cáncer de mama / Development of an accessible and low-cost micro-fluidic system (lab-on-a-chip) for detecting circulating breast cancer tumor cells

RESUMEN Objetivo: desarrollar un sistema microfluídico (lab-on-a-chip) para la detección de células tumorales circulantes de cáncer de mama (CTCs). Materiales y métodos: se diseñó el dispositivo en 3D y se fabricó usando fotolitografía suave y una cortadora láser. Se evaluó el funcionamiento del sistema y del arreglo magnético usando células Jurkat y células de cáncer de mama que poseen diferente expresión de los marcadores superficiales CD45 y EpCAM. Los anticuerpos contra los marcadores fueron unidos a perlas magnéticas. Adicionalmente se usaron nanopartículas de hierro para evaluar su atrapamiento. Resultados: las nanopartículas lograron atraparse de manera significativa en el área propuesta por el modelamiento de campos magnéticos. Las células tumorales marcadas con los anticuerpos magnéticos quedaron atrapadas. Conclusiones: se logró fabricar un lab-on-a-chip capaz de atrapar CTCs generando una excelente herramienta de diagnóstico y de análisis de la progresión de la enfermedad.

ABSTRACT Objective. to develop a microfluidic system (lab-on-a-chip) for detecting circulating breast cancer tumor cells. Materials and methods . the device was designed using 3D technology, and it was manufactures using soft photolithography and a laser cutting machine. The system performance and its magnetic settings were assessed using Jurkat cells and breast cancer cells that show different expression of CD45 and EpCAM surface markers. Antibodies against these markers were bound to magnetic pellets. Additionally, iron nanoparticles were used for assessing their entrapment. Results . nanoparticles were significantly trapped in the area set by magnetic field modeling. Tumor cells labeled with magnetic antibodies became trapped. Conclusions . we were able to manufacture a lab-on-a-chip system that is capable to trap circulating breast cancer tumor cells, which may become an excellent tool for diagnosis and follow-up for this condition.